On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:21:57 -0500, Wes wrote:
snip
Now let me pose a question. Considering the continously lowering of our standard of
living, how much more regulation and additional cost, can we afford to support in our
vehicle purchases?
snip
There appear to be two parallel questions:

(1) The one you asked "how much more regulation and additional
cost, can we afford to support..."

The problem here is that we can't tell because the cost:benefit
data is unavailable, incomplete or hidden. I have significant
suspicion that we have gone far beyond the point of diminishing
returns in many areas and that many of the programs have taken on
a life of their own, and/or the programs are acting as band-aids
for more systemic problems such as the over concentration of
people/industry in a few [very] small areas such as the LA basin
and the isle of Manhattan that would be more logically addressed
by other regulations.

and

(2) "how much more regulation and additional cost, will we
tolerate."

FWIW -- it appears that many of the changes are due to some MBAs
"wild hair" and have little to do with actual governmental
regulation. One example is the proliferation of air and oil
filters. In this particular case, a governmental regulation
banning the introduction of new automotive oil and air filters
and requiring the use of an existing filter [that could be
upgraded to meet new requirements but must remain backward
compatible, e.g. anti drainback valve] would result in a cost
savings to the end user and a stabilization if not reduction in
inventories.


Unka George (George McDuffee)
...............................
The past is a foreign country;
they do things differently there.
L. P. Hartley (1895-1972), British author.
The Go-Between, Prologue (1953).